Unveiling a Technology Breakthrough, Berggi Enables Consumers to Use Email, IM, and Other Smart Messaging Services Over Regular, Commodity Cell Phones
With Already Close to 100,000 Registered Users, Service Becomes Generally Available on Thanksgiving Morning
HOUSTON, TX -- November 21, 2006 -- A new technology company came out of stealth today, unveiling a service that will enable consumers to transform regular cell phones into smart devices that are optimized to send and receive email, IM, text and other messaging services. Consumers can begin accessing the service on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, at www.berggi.com.
The brainchild of several European mobile technology luminaries -- including founder and chairman Jorge Mata and CTO Raul Lorenzo -- and CEO Babur Ozden, a serial start-up entrepreneur, Berggi aims to bring to the mass market what companies in the mobile messaging industry have only been able to deliver to the enterprise.
"From the outset, Berggi has had a simple mission: to bring mobile messaging to the masses," said Ozden. "That means developing a service that can easily run over any phone, over any service, and at a price point that makes sense to the average consumer."
In the first quarter of 2007, Berggi also plans to unveil a new business model for introducing the service to consumers. By white labeling Berggi through well-known brands, the company will be able to bring the benefits of mobile messaging to a wider audience. In a test campaign in 2006 with one such brand, Berggi has already netted close to 100,000 registered users -- and close to U.S. $1 million in income. Also in 2007, Berggi will introduce a number of new, cutting edge services that will help consumer brands to better connect with their customers.
"Berggi has come up with a novel approach to bringing the promise of BlackBerry and Treo -- functional and practical mobile messaging -- to the masses," said David Passmore, Research Director at the Burton Group. By focusing on delivering high-value services over commodity phones, and by teaming with consumer brands to bring these services to market, Berggi may have found a way to make mobile messaging a mass-market play."
Dead Simple Yet Elegant
Purpose-built for the average consumer, Berggi clears the technology, design, and business obstacles that have delayed the spread of mobile messaging in the mass market. With Berggi, consumers have access to email from multiple accounts, instant messaging (Yahoo!, AIM, MSN, Google Talk), text messaging, all on one simple, intuitive console. Consumers can use their current phones, and a new account or data plan is not required. Consumers simply pay $9.99/month, which appears on the monthly phone bills. Consumers can cancel anytime without penalty.
The service also has been designed to address the usability issues that have slowed down the market for mobile messaging generally. Berggi was designed for the small screen and the behavioral subtleties of mobile consumers. Unlike browser-based solutions -- which force fit the world of the computer to the radically different world of the cell phone -- the Berggi service is accessed by downloading a small but robust "thick client" that provides consumers with an environment expertly optimized for the way they actually live, work, and play.
"The combination of our technology roots in Europe -- the crucible for most innovation in the mobile and wireless markets -- and our presence in the U.S., prepare us well for our mission to bring Berggi to the masses," said Ozden. "Berggi has been designed to be dead simple, yet elegant, providing an experience to consumers that, we hope, enriches their personal lives, just as mobile messaging has enriched the professional lives of people in the enterprise."
About Berggi
Berggi's mission is to bring the promise of mobile messaging to the masses. With a unique service that was purpose-built for the average consumer -- and a new business model for bringing the service to market -- Berggi is enabling consumers around the globe to use email, IM, text and new cutting-edge messaging tools to stay better connected with friends, family, and colleagues. Headquartered in Houston, Texas and with offices in Spain, Berggi is building a global foundation to bring mobile messaging to world markets. For more information, visit www.berggi.com.